Method and apparatus for making finned articles



1935-. c. w. GORDON 1,990,069

METHbD' AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING FINNED ARTICLES.

Filed June 5, 1933 CQPPER INVENTOR 014K455 M GalDoA/ ATTORN EY Patented Feb. 5, 1935 amnion aim msaarus me name man an nous harleaW.Gordon,Munstcs-Jnd.,llflm Superheater Company, New York, N. Y.

Application Jane 5, 1988, Serial No. 874,801

2 Claims. (01. s s-) 5 of an article relatively to its volume. As an example of such a situation, the water tubes used on the walls of boiler furnaces are often provided with fins to increase the heat absorbing surfaces proportionately to the water to be heated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a process and an apparatus adapted to put ribs or fins on metal articles. While my process is well adapted to put ribs or fins on tubes, I do not limit it to such use.

In order that my invention, together with its objects and advantages, may be fully and readily understood, I will now-describe in detail and in connection with the accompanying drawing, a complete article as well as an apparatus for applying ribs to metal foundation pieces selected from a number of possible embodiments of the invention and adapted to operate in accordance with my novel method. In the drawing,

Fig. l is an elevational view of my apparatus as it appears when applying a rib to a tube.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a detail view, partly broken away showing a tube having two ribs thereon, as formed by my method and apparatus.

,Fig. 4 is a section through a tube shown in Fig. 3 taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows. I

Referring to the drawing more in detail, 10, 10 are metal jaws, adapted to embrace a metal base or foundation piece on which it is desired to form a rib. When the base or foundation piece is to be of iron, jaws 10 preferably are of copper. As shown, the jaws 10, 10 embrace a tube 12 of iron which has had a rib or fin 14 applied thereto on one side in accordance with my method andhas a portion 144 of another rib applied thereto on another side. It will be seen that the jaws 10, 10 are spaced apart at 16, a distance equal to the desired thickness of the rib 14. A

metal welding electrode 18 is shown in Fig. l in position to deposit metal on the tube or piece 12 between the jaws 10 when an arc is struck between theparts l2 and 18. When the foundation piece 121s iron the electrode 18 also is preferably of ferrous material. For supplying current for the are which is to deposit metal from the electrade 18 on the piece 12, I have shown conductors 20 and 22 connected respectively to the electrode 18- and the foundation piece 12. When the rib 14 has been built up as high as convenient by a deposition of metal from the electrode 18, relative motion is produced between the jaws l0 and the piece 12 so that the jaws 10 will embrace a portion of the piece 12 which has no rib formed thereon and the process is continued until rib 14 has been extended as far as desired. Preferably, the jaws 10 are kept insulated from the piece 12 by insulating material 24. However, it is often possible to maintain an insulated condition'of piece 12 and jaws 10 merely by maintaining them in spaced relation, so that I do not limitmyselfinallcasestothe useofmaterialfor this purpose.

of course, several ribs may be produced on a given base in accordance with my invention. Moreover, I find that I can build up a rib of approximately one-fourth of an inch inheight at one operation, while a rib of one-half of an inch in height can be formed by two operations. The surface of the material laid down in the first operation should be scratch-brushed before beginning the second.

The finished article in accordance with my invention has a rib or fin firmly secured thereto and may be made readily and at moderate cost. The conductivity for heat between the fin and the tube is good and there are no material thermal stresses in the finished article tending to bend or warp it.

It will be understood that current for the are between the electrode 18 andbase piece 12 can be furnished by any known or preferred apparatus without departing from my invention. As a number of forms of apparatus are now in common use well adapted to supply current to arc welding methods, I have not illustrated such an apparatus herein, but it will be understood that the leads 20 and 22 are connected to apparatus for this purpose. While I have illustrated a particular apparatus, it will be understood that none of the following claims are limited to details of the disclosure except in so far as such details are clearly and positively expressed.

What I claim is:

1. The method of forming a projection of weld metal on a foundation piece comprising arranging close to said piece spaced jaws of material not well adapted to form a weld by the arc welding process with the weld metal to be used for the projection, building up said projection on said piece between said jaws by the arc welding process. and maintaining the jaws in insulated relation to the foundation piece.

2. Apparatus for forming a rib on a foundation piece comprising spaced jaws arranged close to the piece to be operated on, said jaws being of a material not well adapted to weld with the metal of which projection is to be formed by the arc welding process, and insulating material arranged to insulate said jaws from the foundation piece.

" CHARLES w. GORDON. 

